Life-threatening transient neonatal Behçet's disease.

This case report describes transient neonatal Behcet's disease with life-threatening complications in the neonate. Male Baby R developed blood-streaked diarrhoea 5 days after birth, followed by recurrent severe scarring orogenital ulceration and vasculitic skin lesions. In his sixth week of life, he developed stridor leading to a respiratory arrest and necessitating assisted ventilation. No infective cause was isolated. Baby R responded well to i.v. and subsequent oral steroid therapy. At 8 weeks old he had fully recovered and remains well. Baby R's mother was not previously known to have Behcet's disease. During the pregnancy, she began to suffer orogenital ulceration, associated with skin lesions typical of Behcet's disease. Mild orogenital ulceration has become recurrent.